BUDGET 2018

Vienna aims to attract more tourists from South India

[File] Vienna celebrates Modernism in 2018, remembering four of its most important protagonists who died 100 years ago

Vienna Tourist Board mainly focuses attracting tourists to Vienna—the capital of Austria. It has now embarked on a multi-city road show in South India to attract Indians to this cultural city known for its music and opera across the world, by banking on the famous Austrian's like – the musician Mozart and the Hollywood action star Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“Vienna city is known for its imperial history, palaces and gardens and is now becoming a wedding destination for many Indian families, and the recent bollywood movie 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' was shot in Vienna. Besides this we have seen a handsome 11 per cent increase in the number of Indian visitors to the city over the previous year of 2016. In 2017, over 58,000 Indians spent nearly 128,000 bednights in the Austrian capital. We feel that people in southern cities such as Bengaluru, Kochi and Chennai embark on family trips to different international destinations. We want them to come to Vienna,” Isabella Rauter, Public Relations Manager for Vienna Tourist Board, told THE WEEK.

Apparently, Vienna has dedicated this year to art and modernism, as the Austrian capital is getting ready to celebrate Modernism in order to pay tributes to four great Viennese artists namely – painters Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, architect Otto Wagner and artist Koloman Moser. “All these four have left an indelible mark on Vienna around 1900 and in order to mark the centenary of their death, their lives and work will be remembered at numerous exhibitions and events throughout the year. We will have selected tours devoted to the 2018 theme of Viennese Modernism and Art Nouveau, includimg Otto Wagner’s Church tour and the Sigmund Freud and Viennese Modernism city tour. The ground floor of the Klimt Villa which was used by Gustav Klimt as a studio between 1911 and 1918 will remain open year round hosting special events and tours,” remarked Rauter.

Rauter also informs that during the early part of 1900s, Vienna was a hotbed of creativity and the best-known masterpieces of art, architecture and design associated with Vienna were created during this era such as Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, Egon Schiele’s Wally Neuzil, Otto Wagner’s Austrian Post Savings Bank and Koloman Moser’s designs for the Wiener Werkstätte. “In 2018 a century after their death Vienna is taking an in-depth look at the works of Klimt, Schiele, Wagner and Moser and other artists of Viennese Modernism. During this time a number of accredited guides have been put together for special tours that would take the theme for 2018 as their point of departure. English-speaking guides are available for all the tours. Vienna city is safe even for women and solo travellers,” added Rauter.

The Vienna Tourism Board is expecting a further rise in Indian visitors to the city. The board's target is to see around 2,50,000 Indian visitors by 2021 with overnight stays in the Austrian capital. Air India is currently offering thrice-a-week – Wednesday, Friday, Sunday – direct flight from Delhi to Vienna and back. For those travelling from Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, airlines such as Air India, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa, Swiss, and Turkish offer connections with a stop en route.